


Seeing Through the Darkness

by PlasmaQuill



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst, Anxiety, Blood and Injury, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Love, Married Couple, Nightmares, Panic Attacks, Post-Canon, War of Heroes (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:13:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26398450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PlasmaQuill/pseuds/PlasmaQuill
Summary: Even though the war is over and Flayn is happily married, she still finds herself occasionally plagued with unpleasant nightmares, forcing her to relive horrible memories. As morbid as these dark visions may become, the warmth of her husband, her shining light at the end of the tunnel, always awaits her, ready to free her from her calamity.
Relationships: Flayn/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 1
Kudos: 23





	Seeing Through the Darkness

Flayn was an admirer of color, marvelling its bounty throughout the day. She adored the bright, blue sky. She cherished the verdant fields that matched her hair. Even the tall, yet aged structures of Garreg Mach were revered in her mind, especially their vibrant insides.

Even during the night, when those favored lights dimmed significantly, she still felt at ease. The moon always shined brightly, illuminating the night sky and giving her bright, twinkly lights to focus on.

Being able to open her eyes and see _something_ , even if it was minimal in brightness, was something she considered a gift, for she was not fond of total darkness.

Her admiration for color was a small (but not the most major) contribution to why she was not fond of sleeping, for there was rarely anything to see, but at least her eyes would adjust to the darkness in time, calming that lingering anxiety.

This was one such occasion, where Flayn opened her eyes to a world of shadows. 

It wasn’t an unusual sight, so she managed to calm that growing anxiety, but she did find it odd how her body ached significantly. As she awoke from her slumber, she discovered she was lying down on a cold surface, perhaps the main contributor to her sore body. 

Flayn didn’t like this. Wherever she was, she knew it wasn’t a familiar place. She could tell this much even though her sight was shrouded in darkness. As her nerves grew, she tried her best to control her shivering body by stabilizing her already awkward breathing, but found it difficult to keep herself composed. It certainly wasn’t helping that the general atmosphere was frigid and unnervingly silent.

Where was she?

She tried to remember where she was last…

...but she couldn’t. She could remember talking to her father, and the professor, and a few students and then… nothing. Retracing her steps was starting to hurt her head. She didn’t remember falling asleep either! Nothing was making sense!

Flayn tried desperately to remain as calm as possible, she really did, but she was unable to resist panicking. She didn’t know where she was. She didn’t know _why_ she was here. She had countless questions, but no answers.

Her only solace was that her eyes would adjust with time. Remembering that this tainted view was only temporary gave her some peace, for she’d at least be able to see once more, even if this place was unknown territory.

...but that moment never came.

Her eyes not adjusting _terrified_ her. Only once before in her life had something like this happened and…

She shook her head rapidly, as if trying to prevent those memories from surfacing. Instead, she tried to focus on any positives she could get out of this situation, focusing on those elements in an attempt to soothe her soul.

She deduced fast that she was alone. Flayn wasn’t fond of being by herself, but as she had no idea where she was, it at least meant no enemies were nearby.

Adjusting her body, Flayn attempted to stand up, placing her hands and feet on the frigid floor so she could push herself upwards, but she found herself painfully flopping back onto the ground, her legs giving way.

She felt weak. Tremendously weak. Her body was drained of its usual energy. She hadn’t felt this way ever since…

Footsteps.

They were extremely faint, but her naturally good hearing, alongside the lack of any other sound, aided her in noticing this new presence, for better or for worse. 

She wasn’t alone after all. Not anymore. The sound echoed throughout her location, growing louder in volume with each step. It enhanced that growing fear echoing through her body. 

She wished she could run, but she couldn’t. She wished she could cry for help, but there was still a chance this unknown entity was not knowing of her presence.

The sound stopped, only to be replaced by the rattling of what sounded like chains, followed by the creaking of a door opening. It was loud. Too loud.

They knew she was here. They knew she was here. They knew she was here. They knew-

The strong touch of a hand forcefully, and suddenly, grabbed her arm, snapping her out of her thoughts while her sore body was forced to her feet. 

She did not resist, for her body was paralyzed in fear. 

Flayn had been struggling to keep her composure before this, but this sudden action was all that was needed to finally tear down the cracked barriers in her mind. Tears began to flow out of her eyes like a river, her emotions no longer able to be kept at bay.

“W-Who are you…?” she called out to the unknown being, her force crackling in terror. She didn’t know what she could do. What would happen if she even tried to break free? Where could she even go? There was a door… so she could run… but she still felt… so, so weak!

The person did not respond, instead choosing to tighten the grip on her arm, forcefully dragging her to places unknown, for she was still surrounded in darkness.

Flayn thought she was terrified enough, but this was beyond traumatic. 

She called out to her father. She called out to Rhea. She called out to the professor. Flayn prayed that somebody, _anybody_ , would hear her, but she knew deep down that nobody would. 

How long was she forcefully dragged for? 

She wasn’t sure for certain, for her despair sunk her back into the realm of subconsciousness.

* * *

Flayn thought she would eventually wake up as if nothing had ever happened; as if it was all a bad dream.

But this was a living nightmare. Flayn did not find herself waking up in the comfort of her own bed. It wasn’t even the cold surface from before.

Instead, she had woken up to searing pain erupting from her arm, forcing a terrifyingly loud scream out of her body. 

It hurt. It hurt. It hurt it hurt it hurt! 

She had experienced this kind of pain before, hadn’t she?. The memory lingered in the back of her mind, for she preferred not to remember it. However, this agony was too similar; it returned the memory to prominence. 

It was the battle that had caused her to fall into a deep sleep. The battle that almost ended her life. 

She remembered the look on her father’s face, how it distorted into one of terror as a sword was driven through his daughter’s arm. It was the last thing she saw from that bloody war.

...but the assassin hadn’t stopped there.

She was struck one more time. A clean, horizontal slice against a delicate part of her body. 

It was during that moment that she began to fear the darkness.

Flayn had screamed, but it wasn’t only because of the pain. 

The fiend was dismantled with ease, a father’s rage tearing the foe apart, but the damage had already been done.

Flayn was too young to fight in the war, but had insisted to aid in spite of that due to her expertise in healing, something her father had only agreed to if she stayed with him at all times. However, her talent led her to be recognized as a prominent threat, leading to an ambush that almost cost her entire life. 

Her wounds were healed, but they later found out that the blade had been poisoned, but it was not intended to take out an ordinary human. Rather, its purpose was to kill a Nabatean. 

It was that poison that forced her to see nothing but darkness.

She had never heard her father shed so many tears before. He had never sounded so distraught. He blamed himself, believing he had failed her mother. It was her words of reassurance that brought him back from the brink of a breakdown, reminding him that she was still alive, even if there was damage that could only be fixed with a long slumber. 

Flayn never did tell him how scared she was too. 

Seiros and Macuil were outraged. They told her they were leaving, for they sought vengeance for the attack. Indech had expressed regret for not being present during the battle. 

Flayn tried to focus on those voices of the past, finding clarity in their familiarity, but the images forming in her mind began to distort, for her body was flooded with agony, snapping her back to the grim reality she had so desperately tried to hide from.

“Please stop…” she begged silently, hoping her captors would show some remorse.

They didn’t. 

She couldn’t see what they were doing, but she could _feel_ it. She was laid down on what felt like a wooden surface, but her body was still too drained to even move. Her wrist was firmly held in place by a cold hand while her arm was continuously stabbed over, and over, and over, and over, and over…

It still hurt. It still hurt it still hurt it still hurt!

Had she been captured by an unknown enemy? Was this… torture?

Were they going to kill her? Was this how it was going to end?

She didn’t want to be here. She wanted to be back in the radiant sun. She wanted to be with everyone again. 

Flayn loved Garreg Mach Monastery. She loved its people with their multitude of colors, a stark contrast to her time in isolation, where her only company was her father. Back then, she had forgotten what it was like to be with others, but now that she had tasted that wondrous fruit once more, she never wanted to forget it.

She wanted to return to them. She wanted to feel their warmth once again.

The stabbing feeling stopped, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t still terrified. With no knowledge of what her captors intended to do with her, she believed she was approaching the final minutes of her life.

Flayn was frightened, for she truly believed she was going to die in this horrible world of darkness. 

But… as if the world was mocking her, that gruesome moment never came, even as she waited for it. However, her arm still pulsed in pain, and she was still unable to move.

Was this her captor’s intention? To leave in her agonizing pain? Was this their form of torture?

She never heard the footsteps that would indicate their departure. Were they watching her? Were they silently snickering amongst themselves? She suspected they could see her, and the pained face she wore. 

“Let me go…” she sobbed, pleading with them, whoever they were, for mercy.

SIlence. Her arm still hurt. She still couldn’t move.

“Please… let me go…”

Silence. Why did her arm still hurt? Why couldn’t she move?

“Please…”

Silence. Why were they hurting her? Why were they stopping her from moving?

“...please…” she let out one final sob.

_“Silence, beast!”_

Their voice was unsettling to the core, but she complied, not because she wanted to, but because she feared the consequences.

She continued to silently cry, until there were no tears left.

But then...

…

In a flash, the pain was suddenly gone, like it was never there to begin with. 

Her body was under her control again. She... could move! 

Were her prayers finally heard? Light even shined into her eyes, even if it was a blurred mess. She was certain she was still surrounded in relative darkness, but she was beyond thankful she could see at all. 

She could make out objects… she had a vague idea of what surrounded her! Everything looked familiar but… unfamiliar. 

Had she been here before?

Flayn clenched the arm that had been soaring in pain, gripping it tightly. 

...while she was certain the pain was truly gone, it was hard to remove the memory of her agony from her mind. 

It was hard to remove the _entire_ memory of that gruesome event. Everything remained so vivid within her mind.

Flayn was sat up on some sort of soft surface, but she felt too drained to think about what she was even sat on.

Her body still ached. She could move… but it still ached.

A dark thought entered her mind.

Did that mean it wasn’t over? Was this another stage to her torment?

...a strong hand reached out, grabbing her by her arm.

She had felt this touch before. 

It was when that unknown person had grabbed her, forcefully dragging her away to her torment.

It wasn’t over.

It wasn’t over!

“...get… _get off me_!” Flayn screamed, mustering all her strength to force the person away. She could see the figure in the shadows recoil in response. Taking advantage of her attacker’s shock, she forced herself up to her feet and desperately hunted for an exit. 

...but she didn’t know where to go. She could finally move, but she quickly learned she was closed off. Every turn she took, there was a wall blocking her from proceeding.

Why couldn’t she leave? She could finally move and even somewhat see, but there was no place to go. She wanted to see more of the color she adored so much. The color of her husband. The color of her father. The color of anybody she knew!

...did… did she hear someone call out her name? She couldn’t tell, for her hearing was so muffled. 

...no, she had to be imagining it. 

Flayn’s vision grew blurry as her eyes were stained in tears. Her ears rang endlessly, preventing her from fully making out the words of the voice that was calling out to her. She could finally move, but at what cost? She could barely tell what was going on.

_“...Flayn...!”_

This time, she heard her name for certain. It stopped her in her tracks and forced her to look around for the source of the voice.

But all she saw was a figure slowly walking towards her. Its silhouette was intimidatingly large and she found herself backed against the wall, her eyes darting constantly around the room in a feeble attempt to find any exit. 

She prayed this was a nightmare she would wake up from, perhaps in the loving embrace of her husband’s arms.

But this felt real. _Everything_ had felt real. The agony. The paralysis. The figure who was looking down at her. It was all real. She was trapped. She couldn’t escape. 

“Leave me alone! _Leave me alone!_ ” She begged, hoping her words would do something. Deep down, she knew it was all for naught, but she had no other option at this point.

_“Flayn, listen to my voice...!”_

...it was the figure speaking to her, wasn’t it?

Their voice… did sound familiar but… she couldn’t trust it. It could be a trap. It was likely one of her captors, tormenting her with kind-sounding words to lure her in. If she complied, she undoubtedly would return to that world of anguish. 

Flayn was exhausted. She hadn’t even noticed how much she was shaking and how much she still ached. Her legs gave way, her body sliding down the wall, but before she met the ground, someone stopped her fall.

It was the silhouette. 

They had caught her. 

They were going to take her away. 

They were going to torment her. 

They were going to make her feel that pain again. 

They were going to take her away from her family. 

They were going to take her away from her husband. 

They were going to-

...

_“Cethleann!”_

Her dark thoughts stopped upon hearing that word.

...how did they know that name?

Only two people in this era knew of her true identity. 

She looked up at the figure holding her, still seeing nothing but darkness. Her hands reached up to her eyes, rubbing them intensely. Upon releasing them, she began to see the darkened colors lighten, albeit slightly.

...but the change was significant enough, for she saw the verdant hair of the person holding her.

Only two people had hair of that kind of color.

Her father, and…

...and…

She remembered the voice that had called out to them.

...there was a reason it was so familiar.

...it couldn’t be… right?

_“Cethleann… please, say something to me!”_

Raising her arms upwards, even as they shook, she clenched hard onto the clothing of the person holding her. 

She stayed still for some time, part of her mind still convinced something terrible was still going to happen.

...but nothing ever did.

Her eyes adjusted more.

Her ears quietened their ringing.

Her breathing began to stabilize.

She observed her surroundings, taking in every detail thoroughly.

Green… Blue… Red… Yellow… Purple…

It was still dark, but she saw them.

Some were more prominent than others, but she saw them.

_Color._

She looked up one final time, finally making out the features of the man holding her.

She had been in denial for too long.

It wasn’t just any man.

It was…

Flayn leaned forward into his chest and wept hard, muttering all sorts of incomprehensible words. She didn’t care that the tears would stain the vision she had just reacquired, for she now knew the truth.

...this wasn’t a nightmare, at least not anymore. 

This was… home.

_“Cethleann, please…”_

She noticed the voice calling out to her was stained with fear.

She felt horrible, for she now knew who that voice belonged to.

Flayn leaned back, her face smudged with flowing tears. She wasn’t sure if he could see it and part of her didn’t want him to. She wanted to bring an end to the calamity the two shared, and one way she could do it would be through the same method that brought herself back to reality.

_“Byleth…”_

She felt the man holding her tighten his grip, almost squeezing her. She couldn’t blame him at all though.

“Cethleann… you’re okay...” She could hear the relief in his voice. 

She was relieved too.

There was still fear, for she could still remember the gruesome events that had happened, but she tried her best to suppress those memories. What mattered now was that she knew she was finally safe. 

She was safe!

His arms… she felt so secure in them. She felt protected. It was wonderful...

“Byleth… please, tell me… where am I?” Flayn asked, her voice still a little unstable, but she tried her best to make herself sound composed.

There was a brief pause before she got her answer, but when she did, she felt even more relieved. “You are at home. You’re safe, Cethleann. I’m here.”

“...what happened to me…?” she asked. Her mind still hurt a fair bit. What she was experiencing now was certainly real, but what about what had happened before…?

“Cethleann, I think you just woke up from a terrible nightmare.” He shared his thoughts, still holding onto her tightly. He was beginning to lose his grip though, so he guided her back to the bed, placing her safely onto its surface. Flayn immediately felt lost without his warmth, but Byleth returned to the bed himself, wrapping his arms around her once more and pulling her back into a hug. 

Flayn adored this warmth dearly. She had grown so used to the cold atmosphere before, but now she never wanted to leave her husband’s arms.

She contemplated his words and found herself recalling the events she had experienced, even if it felt painful to do so, but it didn’t matter for she was now safe. No one would hurt her anymore.

...Flayn was slowly beginning to realize he was right.

It _had_ all been a nightmare.

…

But it had still been a nightmare of a real event.

That cold floor. That strong arm. The pain she had felt.

It had all been real, five years ago. 

She reached out and grabbed the arm that was wounded so long ago. No scars remained from that day, thankfully, but holding it still felt a little awkward.

Truthfully, she only remembered pieces from that tragic month. The nightmare had filled in the blanks. She had no idea why her mind had forced her to relive a more horrifying version of that day-- the day she was kidnapped and had her blood stolen.

She had experienced nightmares of it before, but they had faded with time, or at least she thought they had.

Even though she still felt startled from reliving it again, there were notable differences compared to when she had to endure it alone, not wanting to be a burden.

Those who had kidnapped her had disappeared from this world. She had one of the strongest men alive as her husband. There was no longer any reason for her to fear.

But… she still felt scared. There were no guarantees in life, after all. There was always a chance they could still be out there… 

Her mind drifted to when she had woken up after being rescued, five long years ago.

Her father had been sobbing severely, but had made sure to look presentable upon noticing her awakening. She recalled asking what had happened, trying her best not to relive those lingering memories.

When she had found out it was the professor-- her future husband, who had saved her, she had never felt more joy.

It was like one of those many fairy tales she had read throughout the ages. A valiant knight, coming to the rescue of a kidnapped princess.

It was a silly comparison, but it had brought her comfort during that horrible month, eviscerating those dreadful memories from the forefront of her mind. 

...and it was all perhaps the most major contribution towards her blossoming love for Byleth at the time.

While it was soothing to reminisce, she realized her husband was still likely in a state of shock. She was feeling more at ease… but was he?

“I’m sorry, my love.” she apologized, for she figured her amnesiac-like state must have scared him tremendously. “I must have terrified you.”

All this time, she had never considered how he was feeling about her nightmare. She had undoubtedly frightened him, and instead of reassuring him all was well, she had snuggled up to him and pretended nothing was wrong. At least, that was how she perceived it.

“Please, don’t worry about it.” He replied calmly, and his words were soothing. “I had an idea of what was happening. Don’t let yourself worry about it, okay? It does not shake my love for you at all.” 

His grip on her tightened, pulling her closer to his warm body.

“I see… thank you.” she replied, feeling her anxiety dwindle. She believed him. 

“Cethleann, is it okay if you tell me what your nightmare was about?” He requested.

She hesitated briefly, but decided that he deserved to know. She wanted to make up for scaring him, even if he had already given her his forgiveness.

It wasn’t particularly unpleasant to recall the events vocally, but the affection she was feeling inside thanks to his touch made it easier to speak. Byleth listened closely, his arms firmly wrapped around his wife, protecting her from the darkness.

Upon finishing her tale, she sighed, resisting the lingering urge to cry, not just because of the nightmare herself, but her shame in not realizing when she had left it. 

She ran from him. She had slapped his arm away in fear! How did he feel when she did that? She wanted to ask desperately, but she was terrified to ask too. He would certainly give her an honest answer, but she didn’t know if she was prepared to hear the most likely response.

“Cethleann,” he began. Goddess, she would never grow tired of hearing his voice say that name. “What do you fear? Is it that Those Who Slither in the Dark may still exist?”

“I do…” she replied. “But…”

She did truly fear them, but there was something she feared more.

“But?”

“I also fear for my heritage.” she explained quietly. Her blood wasn’t something she thought too much about, for she had gotten so used to living an ‘ordinary’ life, but her special heritage had been targeted too many times by this point. “Those people in the shadows learned of my true identity. That’s why they knew my blood was special. What if others learned of the truth, my love? How would they react? Edelgard knew too… and she wanted to wipe my kind out...”

“Cethleann, I want to make a promise to you.” He responded to her, calmingly rubbing her verdant hair. She leaned back into his body, looking up at him with curious eyes.

“A promise?”

“I will always protect you,” he spoke calmly, yet it sounded so surreal to her ears. “And I believe that together, we are more than capable of creating a society where the Children of the Goddess are accepted.”

“...you think so?”

It wasn’t that she doubted him, but it would be a difficult task. But… if anyone could do it...

“Someday, when the people, and you, are ready… perhaps we could reveal the truth of the saints?” He suggested. “We will tell them that they have always been watching over us, guiding humanity to a brighter future. How does that sound?”

“That does sound… quite wonderful.” she admitted. As society stood right now, she’d inevitably have to return to hiding, returning to the world of Fódlan under a new identity at a much later stage, all to avoid suspicion. The people of this world were not aware of their long lifetimes, after all.

At the very least, she’d have both her husband and her father by her side for that… but she did find herself wondering what it would be like if they never did have to hide.

She could be accepted for who she was. She could be herself. She could use her real name. 

Imagining such a world felt a little surreal… 

“Byleth, my love…” she whispered, placing her hands on his cheeks, pulling him down closer to her level. 

Their lips finally met, and Flayn believed she was experiencing all her remaining fears melt away. It was a light, tender kiss, but it did wonders to calm down those lingering nerves.

“I love you... I love you so much!” she avoided the temptation to raise her voice, proclaiming her love to the entire world. “I’ve always loved you. When I learned you were the one who rescued me on that day over five years ago… It was on that day that I truly learned what love was! Words cannot describe how thankful I am that you entered my life. ”

“Cethleann... I love you too, and I will never grow tired of saying those words.” he snuggled up more to her. He could feel her calm, tender heartbeat, a contrast to what had once been rapid and unstable. “I am beyond happy that you are a part of my life.”

A ray of light pierced through the window, lighting up a line in front of their bed. Flayn watched it with awe, growing fascinated in how it brightened up the room ever so slightly. 

It brought her comfort, knowing she’d wake up to a world full of even more color.

Flayn yawned, stretching her arms. She wished she could leave and watch the sunrise with her husband, but she knew she was too exhausted. It didn’t matter too much, for there would be countless other opportunities. Besides, her husband surely needed sleep too.

Her husband yawned too, probably as a result of her own gesture. She leaned into him, gently guiding him back onto the pillow with a playful nudge. She gazed up at him with the smile he loved, snuggling into his chest while she closed her eyes.

Byleth brought the covers over their bodies, the couple returning to their slumber fairly quickly, basked in each other’s warmth.

Flayn dreamed once more, but it was no nightmare. 

It was a dream of a potential future, where she was accepted for who she was. 

It was a happy dream, of their happy lives.

When Flayn next awoke, she was adorably distraught, not because of any nightmare, but because her dream was _that_ good.

When she told her husband about the dream with a smile on her face…

...he told her he wanted to make that dream a reality.

His response made her smile so much, it hurt her muscles a little!

Their lives would be long, but they knew they had the potential to craft a wonderful future, not just for themselves, but for all of Fódlan.

A world of freedom. A world of acceptance. A world full of love.

A world with no need for fear.

**Author's Note:**

> Do you adore Flayn? Consider joining the Flayn Sanctuary Discord server! I'm there too! https://discord.gg/CgtXnDw


End file.
